Velvety sauce, earthy spinach, and al dente pasta make this Creamy Spinach Pasta Recipe one of our most comforting and satisfying meals of all time. Go ahead…try it!
How to Make Creamy Spinach Pasta
A detailed recipe with full quantities can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Step 1: Prep all your ingredients by bringing a large pot of water to a boil, mincing your garlic, grating the parmesan, and rough-chopping the spinach. Measure out all other ingredients prior to starting.
Step 2: Start by adding the pasta to your boiling water and cook until al dente. (Begin Step 3 while it’s cooking.) When done, keep a 1/2 cup of pasta water in a separate measuring container, and then drain the remaining water.
Step 3: While your pasta is cooking, start the sauce by melting the butter in a large pan over medium-low heat. Stir in garlic and oregano. Cook for 30-60 seconds until your garlic is lightly browned and fragrant.
Step 4: Add milk, parmesan, and heavy cream to the garlic saucepan. Stir all ingredients until combined and then cook for 3 more minutes, or until cheese has melted.
Step 5: Add spinach and salt to your saucepan. Cook 3 additional minutes until the spinach has wilted. Reduce heat to low.
Step 6: Mix the flour with 1/4 cup pasta water and then slowly pour it into the saucepan, stirring until the sauce thickens.
Step 7: Add the drained pasta to your sauce and mix until fully coated. Add more pasta water if needed to make a creamy consistency.
Step 8: Plate and then top with freshly grated parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Enjoy!
Tweaks
We’ve got some delightful tweaks for you to try with this recipe….
- Protein Boost: Add grilled chicken strips or shrimp to make it a protein-packed meal. You can totally use frozen chicken for this!
- Mushroom Magic: SautƩed mushrooms will add an earthy depth to the dish. You could even use a mix of different mushrooms for variety.
- Zesty Lemon Zest: Admittedly, it’s a heavy meal….grate a bit of lemon zest over the pasta just before serving to brighten up the flavors and cut through some of the heaviness.
- Spice it Up: Adding a pinch of red pepper flakes will give it a subtle kick if you like heat.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Chop some sun-dried tomatoes and toss them in to add a sweet and tangy element that complements the creamy sauce.
Storage
This is a perfect make-ahead refrigerator (not freezer) meal. We’re pros at the storage bit (full instructions here)…
Refrigerate: When kept in an airtight container, this pasta meal will last up to 3 days in the fridge. And if you’ve got some cooked frozen chicken strips, they’ll go perfectly on top for a lovely mid-week meal.
Freeze: Although (technically) it will freeze, we recommend you avoid freezing any cream-based sauces. When frozen and then thawed, the cream will split resulting in a grainy, gritting texture – not the sort of thing you want coating your pasta!
Reheat: When ready to enjoy your cooked pasta, remove it from the refrigerator and place in the microwave on medium heat in intervals of 30-60 seconds until hot. We recommend covering it as sometimes the creamy sauce can splatter.
Creamy Spinach Pasta Recipe
6
servings5
minutes20
minutes25
minutesKeeps the screen of your device ON
Ingredients
- Pasta
16 oz 0.45 kg – Pasta (any shape)
- Sauce
4 tbsp 4 tbsp – Butter (salted)
8 8 – Garlic (minced)
4 tsp 4 tsp – Oregano (dried)
2 cup 0.47 l – Milk
1/2 cup 118.29 ml – Heavy Cream
1 cup 100 g – Parmesan Cheese (coarsely grated)
2 tbsp 2 tbsp – Flour (all-purpose)
10 cup 2.37 l – Spinach (roughly chopped)
3 tsp 1 1/2 tsp – Salt
- Garnish to Taste
– Salt
– Black Pepper (ground)
1/4 cup 59.15 ml – Parmesan Cheese (grated)
Directions
- Prep
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Mince garlic, grate parmesan, and rough-chop spinach. - Cook Pasta
Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente. When done, retain 1/2 cup pasta water in a separate measuring container, and drain the remaining water. - While Pasta Cooks
Melt butter in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and oregano. Cook 30-60 seconds until garlic is lightly browned and fragrant. - Start Sauce
Add milk, parmesan, and heavy cream to the garlic saucepan. Cook for 3 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Add spinach and salt. Cook 3 more minutes until the spinach has wilted. Reduce heat to low. - Add Pasta Water
Mix flour with 1/4 cup pasta water. Pour slowly into the saucepan and stir until the sauce thickens. - Combine
Add drained pasta to the sauce and toss/mix until coated. Add more pasta water if needed to make a creamy consistency. - Plate & Enjoy
Plate and then top each serving with freshly grated parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Enjoy!
My family is not fond of spinach, any thoughts on how this would work with other veggies? I was wondering if broccoli would work, cooking the broccoli with the pasta.
One of my kids love spinach, the other…not so much. Yes, I think broccoli would be a fantastic substitute in this dish. I wouldn’t cook the broccoli with the pasta though. I’d cook the broccoli and then mix it in with the sauce and pasta.
Thanks.
I think you are right about cooking the broccoli separately, I’d forgotten how broccoli tends to leave little bits of the florets floating everywhere when it it boiled. And it’s easy to overcook broccoli like that. I was just trying to not have another pan to wash.